Fashion Fitness Haul & New Starts

The words 'Melissa' and 'Exercise' rarely exist together in the same sentence. And if they do, it's usually related to my mantra that 'shopping is exercise'. Over Easter, however, I decided to make a few positive changes in my life and deciding to get into fitness was one of them! Admittedly, this was fuelled by my new obsession with fashionable sportswear which I'm going to be discussing in today's post. The items I've bought are specifically for cardio at the gym and my beloved weekly pilates classes - which I would recommend to anyone, especially if you suffer from joint pains. I personally have found that owning bright, comfy sports clothes encourages me to go to the gym once or twice a week, often as a revision break or de-stress. Luckily two of my flatmates joined at the same time, meaning we can motivate each other and it's less of a chore to go. My favourite shop for fitness wear is H&M which I have been hugely impressed with - quality-wise, price-wise, style-wise. I also recently ordered an outfit from the infamous Fabletics which although delivers its promise of beautifully designed products, was fairly disappointing in ease of exchanges. In addition, I'd advise not to make the mistake of signing up to the VIP membership as I did! Many people have been caught out by the small print in the contract but luckily I cancelled in time and can still enjoy my beautiful £26 outfit! The photos below are some of my recent fitness-related purchases and how I style them. 

Yoga mat - Amazon

Leggings - Fabletics

Trainers - Next

Pink sports top - H&M

Mosaic print sports top - Fabletics

Green sports top - H&M

Running belt - Amazon

Running arm band - Amazon

(Below) Blue hoodie - New Look

Summer is the perfect time to get into a new sport or hobby and it's great to see how you improve over the weeks - setting targets is essential. I'm also starting to compile an effective workout playlist which I might share in a future post - yes Taylor Swift does feature.

Are you a fan of fitness fashion? If you have any recommendations for where to buy sports wear or gym kit, please leave a comment 

xxx

Judy's Affordable Vintage Fair

'Vintage' is a word thrown about a lot in the fashion industry. Vintage-inspired, vintage couture, modern takes on vintage classics. So when I spotted a pop-up 'Judy's affordable vintage' fair in my local area, I jumped at the opportunity to have a look at some real vintage pieces. Not all of it was to my personal taste, but the outfits were so creative and quirky that I wish I had the confidence to pull them off. The fair was held in the Leamington Spa Assembly, with multiple stalls covering everything from ditsy tea dresses to tweed jackets, all at student-friendly prices. There was also a little tea room upstairs where my flatmate and I indulged in tea and home made cake. Despite not buying anything as the items would be difficult to style with my existing clothes, I had a brilliant afternoon and would highly recommend the Judy's Affordable Vintage Fair if an event pops up near you. The best way to keep informed are through Facebook and the event posts numerous competitions nearer the date to boost advertising. Here are the photos of my favourite pieces and what I wore on the day - red lipstick was an essential!

Dress: Oasis

Bag: Topshop

 I hope you enjoyed this post, have you ever bought anything vintage?

xxx

April Favourites

Hope everyone's having a lovely Bank Holiday Weekend! So far I've been revising, going to the gym and writing up this beauty favourites post! I know it's already the 3rd of May but I'm going to post this anyway and bend the rules a little! 

I've picked seven 'April favourites' to discuss today, the first being the gorgeous Gwen Stefani on the cover of the UK Cosmopolitan. Along with Glamour, which features Taylor Swift this month, Cosmo is my go-to source of beauty and fashion news and it's been great to read during my revision breaks.

Secondly I purchased a new Tangle Teezer this month as my original pink one was practically vintage; it had seen better days. Seizing the opportunity for a spending splurge, I spotted this beautiful Lulu Guinness printed compact brush. I think it's love. At £12.99 it isn't really an impulse purchase but I'm justifying it by thinking of the Boots Advantage Card points...

A quick skincare add-on for me this month has been the Estee Lauder Advance Night Repair Eye Cream which is in a cute little travel size. I can't say I'm using it for the anti-ageing benefits but it is fantastic to put on at night to avoid dry patches under your eyes. 

I'm sure I've raved on about the Benefit PoreFessional Primer many times before but I couldn't resist adding it to my favourites list. It really makes your foundation last that little bit longer and the consistency is very high quality - there's nothing worse than a silicone-feeling primer!

You can read more about my Leighton Denny obsession here but the Rosey Posey nail lacquer is a gorgeous spring-time flush of pink, perfect for this time of year when the sun is just starting to come out. Unfortunately this particular shade was limited edition but it's very similar to Essie's Sugar Daddy colour. 

The Lush Popcorn lip scrub works wonders in making your lips nice and smooth without removing too much skin - the product also comes in a 'Mint Juleps' flavour and 'Bubblegum'. I haven't seen many lip scrub 'dupes' around but this is a cult product for a reason.

Finally I've included the Real Techniques mini trio of brushes which are so handy to take on nights out to avoid the streaky makeup look - we've all been there girls. This adorable little set includes a mini concealer brush, powder brush and eye shadow brush and at £10 it's a great introduction to the range.

I hope you enjoyed this post, what are your April Favourites?

xxx